About

There has been much recent interest in Lincoln Hills, the historic Black-owned resort built and operated in the Colorado mountains during the time of segregation. Coverage has included a Rocky Mountain PBS documentary, articles in publications including USA Today, and a permanent exhibit at the History Colorado Center museum in Denver.

The Tucker family, Warren Tucker Sr. and Sharon Tucker, and their children Linda Tucker and Warren Tucker Jr. visited Lincoln Hills numerous times during the height of its operation. Sharon Tucker was the only child of Muriel Hamlet whose parents were Alberta De Neal Hamlet and Clarence Hamlet. Clarence, had a brother named Wendell Hamlet, whom the family called Uncle “Wink.”

While many cabins were built in Lincoln Hills during this time, most famous and documented is Wink’s Panorama, a 3-floor, 6 guest room, lodge hand-built by Wendell and Clarence Hamlet over the course of several summers. Wink’s Panorama welcomed Black vacationers from across the US, including famous actors and musicians including Leena Horne and Count Basie.

When the Tucker family visited Lincoln Hills, they often stayed with Wendell’s sister, Bessie De Vaun, in a cabin Wendell built. During these frequent visits, the family took many photographs, and collected stories and memorabilia that provide a glimpse into the unique history of Lincoln Hills and the resourcefulness and ingenuity of Wendell and Clarence Hamlet and the Tucker and Hamlet families.

Many photos featured in the PBS documentary and History Colorado museum exhibit, are from the Tucker Hamlet family collection. Linda Tucker KaiKai meticulously collected and preserved these photos almost as if she knew that one day they would be treasured. This site is intended to serve as a public repository for information, photographs, and historical accounts of Lincoln Hills and the American Black cultural heritage of the Tucker and Hamlet families.